Who Heals the Healer?
by LyricalSinger
Summary: Gaius is seriously ill, and it is up to Merlin to take care of his mentor.
1. Chapter 1

This story had been languishing on my hard drive for several months. I'd written the first 500 words and I knew how I wanted the story to proceed, but I just couldn't seem to get anything decent down on paper. Then, MoonFox gave me some excellent suggestions and really helped me flesh out the story. Then, when I had a question about herbs and herbals, MoonFox, Wil1969 and crshore kindly came to my rescue. Thanks so much, ladies! Finally, this has been wonderfully beta'ed by sarajm, who went above and beyond in and attempt to wrangle my verb tenses into some sort of order.

For reference, this story takes place about 6 months or so after Merlin first arrives in Camelot.

* * *

Gaius had been struck down by a fever and Merlin was worried.

The elderly physician had been working himself to the bone, between helping Camelot's residents through a particularly difficult - and deadly - bout of influenza and trips to some of the outlying villages to provide what aid he could to those who had been afflicted with the same disease. Merlin had tried to assist the physician, but it was still early in his training and, unfortunately, there was not much he could do except try to keep the sick hydrated and comfortable. The brunt of the work fell to Gaius, so in the end it was no surprise that he succumbed to the same illness he'd been battling for weeks.

For the past two days, Merlin had sat at his mentor's bedside, doling out remedies and trying to keep the fever in check by the use of cool cloths and what little bit of healing magic he knew. So far, though, both his remedies and his magic had been unsuccessful. Gaius' fever was still rising and it looked like the illness was reaching a crisis point.

And now, in his delirium, Gaius had begun muttering under his breath. He wasn't speaking any spells, thank goodness; it was almost as if Gaius was trapped in his memories for he spoke of people and events that seemed to be long past.

Racking his brain for anything that would help, Merlin recalled the times he'd been ill and how his mother had always been there for him, making sure he had whatever he needed and whispering endearments that always managed to calm him.

Merlin settled himself more comfortably on the chair beside Gaius' bed – the same chair that in the past few days had become Merlin's whole world. The only time he left Gaius' side was to either prepare a new remedy or use the garderobe. He'd even taken to sleeping in the chair, with the result that Merlin was convinced he'd never get the kinks out of his neck anytime soon!

Gaius began tossing his head side to side so in an attempt to calm the man, Merlin placed a gentle hand on his mentor's forehead, and, though he felt rather silly doing so, began crooning one of his favourite childhood songs; the same song his mother used to sing to him when he was ill.

 _I hope this helps_ , thought Merlin as he gazed down at his patient in despair. His attempts to soothe the older man when he became agitated were semi-successful at best and he was becoming frustrated by his inability to help. At times, he even found himself fighting back tears of frustration.

It took a while, but when the physician finally quieted under Merlin's gentle ministrations, Merlin took the advantage and stepped away from the patient bed. His back was stiff from all the sitting and he needed to replenish the water he was using to cool down the feverish man.

Standing by the worktable, stretching and twisting in an attempt to work the kinks out of his spine and ease the pain in his neck, Merlin eyed the various remedies spread across the table top trying to decide which fever remedy to try next. The infusion of coriander had not proved effective, so the next thing to try was St. John's Wort. If that didn't work, Merlin was out of ideas.

The young warlock shook his head and berated himself. "It will work; it _has_ to," he whispered as he unstopped the small vial that held the green liquid and pour a few drops into a mug of water.

Merlin was just about to return to Gaius' side when a quiet rapping sounded at the door and Gwen poked her head into the room.

"Am I disturbing you?" she asked, with a look of concern on her face. "How is Gaius today?"

Merlin sent a small grimace in his friend's direction and said, "He's no better, Gwen. In fact, I think he's getting worse. I don't know what to do anymore." Gesturing to the bottle in his hand, Merlin added, "This is my last hope. If this doesn't work …." The young man's voice trailed away as tears welled in his blue eyes.

Gwen took one look at her friend and rushed over to his side. Taking the bottle from his hand, she returned it to the work table while at the same time gently encouraging Merlin to sit down on the bench. He looked so defeated and drawn that Gwen's heart seized in sympathetic pain.

She, too, was worried about Gaius. She had known Gaius all her life; he and her father were good friends. When her mother had passed, she had felt lost and it was the Court Physician who had helped take her out of herself. He had convinced Tom that Gwen had some talent for healing and took her on as an assistant. While she was too young at that time to become a true apprentice, she was a quick study and soon learned some of the simpler draughts and remedies. Best of all, despite her young age, Gwen had an innate talent to calm even the most agitated patients – a talent that had come in very handy over the years.

However, it became clear to Gaius that Gwen would never become a true healer, in part because of her deep sympathy for his patients. She was often unable to maintain the detachment that was so necessary when dealing with the ill. So, when Morgana arrived at Camelot, a quiet young girl hurting over the loss of her beloved father, who better than Gwen to become her lady's maid and, hopefully, a friend and confidant? After having spoken with Gwen, Gaius approached Uther and recommended that he assign Gwen to Morgana. After all, Gwen's mother had been a lady's maid herself so the position would not intimidate her.

Yet, though her first responsibility was always to Morgana, Gwen still managed to help out the old physician on occasion and remained the best person to have sitting beside a sickbed.

Now, however, Gwen's attention was not on the ill man lying restlessly on the bed. Rather, her attention was focused on the young man sitting beside her with his head in his hands, drawing in ragged breaths.

Gwen shifted closer to Merlin so they touched from shoulder to knee and placed her hand on his back, rubbing in small circles, like one would sooth a small child.

"Merlin," she said in a quite tone, "don't fret so. I know you're worried, as am I, but between us we'll see Gaius through. Now, I want you to do something for me," she added in a firmer tone.

Merlin sighed and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Picking up the bottle of medicine, Gwen said, "What is this?"

"It's an infusion of St. John's Wort; it should help with the fever but …"

"This is what we're going to do. I'll help you dose Gaius and then you are going to get some sleep."

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Gwen gave him a steely stare. "I don't want to hear any argument from you. You are running yourself ragged and soon you'll be sick too. I'll sit with Gaius for a little bit; Morgana knows where I am and she said she wouldn't need me for a while. She's worried too, Merlin; so much so, she told me to come. So, I'll stay with Gaius while you get some sleep and I'll be sure to wake you if anything happens."

As Gwen spoke, Merlin unconsciously leaned into her warm embrace. It was comforting to be able to simply let everything go, even for just a moment. He knew that Gaius would be in good hands with Gwen. To be honest, she was the only person Merlin would entrust to take care of his mentor while he got some much-needed sleep.

Merlin opened his mouth to say "thank you" when a loud gurgle came from his stomach. He immediately turned beet red while Gwen began to giggle.

"Merlin, when was the last time you ate?" she asked as the two got up from the bench and began gathering the items they'd need to dose Gaius.

"Um … yesterday?"

"Are you asking me, or telling me?" questioned Gwen as she picked up a clean cloth from the pile on the end of the table.

"Telling you?"

"Merlin," sighed the young woman as she gave her friend a fond look. "After we get this medicine into Gaius, you're going to sleep for at least 2 hours and then you're going to eat something. Okay?"

"Okay, Gwen," responded the weary warlock. He leaned over and gave the dark-haired girl a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," he added before he turned towards the patient bed.

As his attention was focused on Gaius, he didn't see the slight blush that coloured Gwen's cheeks, or the hand she raised to her cheek to lightly touch the spot where she'd been kissed.

"Would you please bring me a cloth, Gwen?" said Merlin from his position beside Gaius. He had one hand on the old man's forehead and the other was lightly holding his hand.

"Cloth … yes … cloth. Oh, um, right! Sorry, Merlin," stuttered Gwen as she quickly covered the three steps to the bed and handed over the cloth. Merlin didn't say anything, but he did glance curiously at Gwen.

Everything seemed fine, so he simply said, "I'm going to hold his head up and open his mouth so you can pour down the infusion. Put the cloth under his chin so he doesn't get wet."

Functioning as well-oiled machine, the two young people got the infusion into Gaius and then re-settled him on the bed and covered him with a light blanket.

Gwen seated herself in the chair so recently vacated by Merlin and shooed him towards his room. "Don't worry, Merlin. He'll be fine. Go get some rest. I'll wake you in two hours."

Merlin plodded up the small set of stairs towards his room. He was just so tired; his legs felt leaden. As he turned to push closed the door to his room, he looked back at his friend and his mentor. Gwen was now sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Gaius' hand. She had placed a fresh damp cloth on his forehead and was murmuring softly.

On seeing the care Gwen was taking with Gaius, Merlin smiled for the first time in days. Gwen truly was a wonder. With a sigh of utter exhaustion, Merlin collapsed onto his bed and was asleep before he even managed to remove his boots.

* * *

Merlin was still deeply asleep when the door to the physician's chambers opened and one of the kitchen girls came in, carrying a large tray covered with foodstuffs. "From Prince Arthur," said the girl as she placed the tray on the table. Gwen and Nina spoke for a few moments as they laid out the food.

"Thank you, Nina," said Gwen as the girl picked up the now-empty tray.

"You're welcome, Gwen," said Nina with a smile. "It's nice to be out of the heat of the kitchens for a little bit." With one last, concerned look towards Gaius, Nina left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

It was the murmuring of the girls' voices that, in the end, roused Merlin. He lay on his narrow bed, blinking blearily in the bright sunlight that filled his room, and for a moment couldn't remember why he was napping in the afternoon. Then it all came back to him and he sat up with a jolt.

"Gaius," he breathed.

He scrambled out of bed and then got the surprise of his life when his bare feet hit the ground. Merlin sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his feet and wiggling his long toes. He was pretty sure he hadn't removed his boots when he collapsed onto his bed, but his mind was still a bit fuzzy from lack of sleep, so he couldn't be too sure … and now he couldn't find his footwear.

His brown boots were not haphazardly sitting against the wall beside his small table, as usual. Now the young warlock was beginning to become concerned. Had he been sleepwalking? Again? It wouldn't have surprised him to find out this was the case. It had happened in the past, mainly when he was both completely exhausted and deeply worried. If Gaius' continuing illness was not a perfect example of his sleepwalking trigger, he didn't know what was.

A light rapping sounded on his door before Gwen pushed it open and entered his room.

"I thought I heard you moving around, Merlin," she said. Taking a close look at her friend she added, "The sleep has done you some good, I can see. You actually have a bit more colour in your cheeks. If you're awake enough, there's food in the outer room. Gaius is asleep right now, but we do need to talk about what to do next. I'll have everything set out on the table by the time you get your socks on."

"Um … about that. Where are my boots? For the life of me I cannot remember taking them off, but as you can see …", said Merlin as he gestured towards his bare feet.

Gwen giggled and said, "Your boots are at the end of your bed Merlin, out of the way. And don't worry, you're not going crazy. Just after you pushed your door shut I heard a noise. I called, but you didn't answer, so I took a look to see what had happened. From the position you were in, I guess you must have been asleep before you even managed to lie down! Your feet were on the floor, but your body and head were on the bed. So, I pulled off your boots … and remind me to knit you a new pair of socks, yours have holes! Anyway, I removed your boots and socks and swung your legs up onto the bed so you wouldn't wake up all twisted up in pain. You were so deeply asleep you didn't even so much as twitch when I manhandled you onto the bed!"

Merlin felt his cheeks flush with heat during Gwen's description and he ducked his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that," he whispered.

"Merlin," said Gwen fondly, "it was my pleasure to help you. You do so much for everyone that it was nice to be able to return the favour for once. Now, splash some water on your face, get your boots on and come eat something."

Merlin watched the girl as she made her way down the stairs and towards the worktable-cum-dinner-table that dominated the room. "You're a good friend, Gwen," he called as he tried to pat his sleep-ruffled hair back into submission.

Once Merlin had done as Gwen instructed, he rushed out of his room and made his way immediately to Gaius' side. The elderly man did not look any better than he had earlier that day. Merlin sighed deeply as he took a good look at his mentor. He knew he had been hoping for a miracle, but no miracles today. Gaius was still flushed with fever, his skin was looking waxy and his hair lay limply on the pillow. His breathing was raspy and hands still continued to twitch where they lay on the counterpane.

The only good thing was it seemed that the fever had not risen again, but neither had it abated. Merlin gently clasped Gaius' shoulder and, with a catch in his throat, whispered, "Gaius, please, you've got to get better. I don't know what to do anymore."

If Gwen had heard Merlin's plea, she said nothing as he sat down at the table and stared at the riches laid out in front of him. "Whaaa?" he said, rather inelegantly.

Gwen grinned as she handed Merlin a goblet filled with cool, clear water. "Would you believe this is all courtesy of Arthur?"

"Nope, not at all!" responded the dark-haired youth as he began piling fruit, bread and cheese onto his plate. It took a few seconds for him to realize that Gwen had not said anything. Looking up and seeing her features holding a look of combined exasperation and surprise, he said, "Really? Arthur sent all this?"

"Yes, Merlin, he did. He may be a bit of a bully at times, but he does care deeply for Gaius. I thought that would have been obvious since he's told you to stay with him until he's better."

A thoughtful look crossed Merlin's face and then his eyes widened in understanding. "I thought he was just looking for a way to get rid of me for a few days. Apparently I couldn't have been more wrong! I know he cares for Gaius; I've seen it for myself. Ah, well, I'll be sure to thank him for this."

Looking over at the occupied patient bed, Merlin added, "No change?"

"I'm sorry, Merlin, but no change. I've replaced the cloths on his forehead several times but they don't seem to be doing much good. I know the fever hasn't risen in the four hours you were asleep, but it hasn't fallen either. What else have you tried, other than the St. John's Wort?"

" _Four hours!_ You let me sleep _four hours_!" said Merlin indignantly.

"Merlin," snapped Gwen, "you needed the sleep. I tried to wake you earlier like you wanted, but you didn't hear me. Besides, Gaius was fine, relatively speaking."

Abashed, Merlin apologized, "I'm sorry Gwen. You're right, I know you are. I feel much better for the sleep and the food, but it's just that … I'm scared. I'm so scared."

The fear was evident in his voice as he continued, "I've tried willow bark tea and infusions of coriander and St. John's Wort, but they haven't worked. I've been going through Gaius' Herbals, but some of these treatments are far beyond my knowledge. I don't want to try something new only to mess it up somehow, or even poison Gaius by accident."

Gwen's sympathy was palpable as she stretched her arm across the table and grasped Merlin's hand. "I know you're trying, Merlin. No one can fault you for your dedication to Gaius, but I think the time has come to call on some more help. It is possible Rhys, the apothecary, may have some ideas. Why don't you go speak with him? I'll stay here with Gaius until you get back."

At Gwen's suggestion, the faint pinprick of hope appeared in Merlin's eyes. "Gwen, that's brilliant! I was so worried about Gaius that it didn't even occur to me that Rhys may be able to help. I'll go see him right away. You don't mind staying with Gaius a bit longer?"

"Of course not, Merlin. I'm happy to help out in any way I can."

Merlin stood from the table, but before rushing off to find Rhys he stepped to Gwen's side and pulled her in for a tight embrace. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear, "for everything."

"You're very welcome, Merlin. Now go, before Rhys heads home for dinner."

A bang of the door heralded Merlin's departure. Gwen looked at the food still on the table and with a fond smile and a quick glance towards Gaius to ensure that he was still resting comfortably, she began packing away the remains of their meal. Arthur had kindly sent enough foodstuffs for a couple of days, so that was one thing they wouldn't have to worry about. Now, they would just have to hope that Rhys would have some useful suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2

The Apothecary's rooms were located in the Lower Town, not far from The Rising Sun. Rhys was a third-generation apothecary, having been apprentice to, and then taking over from, his father on his passing a number of years ago.

While Gaius was primarily the physician to the Royal Court, Rhys provided remedies and salves to the townspeople. Unlike the relationship that existed between many physicians and apothecaries, Gaius and Rhys held great respect for each other's knowledge and talents and often conferred over difficult cases. It was Gaius' appreciation of Rhys' learning that led Gwen and Merlin to hope that the apothecary would be able to suggest some additional remedies.

Merlin raced across the courtyard and through the winding lanes of the Lower Town, intent on covering the distance to Rhys' shop in record time. He arrived at the door to the shop just as Rhys was preparing to lock up and head home for the evening.

Merlin skidded to a stop in front of the tall, thin man and leaned over with his hands on his thighs, gasping for breath.

"Merlin! Calm down boy. Whatever is the matter?" asked Rhys as he opened the door and led Merlin inside his small shop. The early evening light shone through the chinks in the closed shutters to bathe the room in a dim light; just enough light to give the room a homey glow. Merlin could see a long table placed opposite the door and there were shelves along the wall behind it. The shelves were full of various bottles and vials and there were several baskets on the floor overflowing with leaves and plants. A small burner was at one end of the table and underneath was a large covered bucket, presumably filled with water.

Rhys pushed Merlin onto a small stool located near his dispensing table and said, "Sit down and catch your breath; then you can tell me what's going on."

After a few seconds, Merlin got his breathing under control and said, "Rhys, I am so glad I caught you. I need your help. You know Gauis has been extremely busy these past weeks dealing with the fever that had been making the rounds of the castle?"

Rhys nodded and said, "Yes, Merlin, I know. He was so overburdened dealing with the sick he asked me to visit some of the nearer villages to see how far the illness had spread beyond Camelot's walls. I am actually heading out tomorrow morning to re-visit those people I treated to ensure they are well on their way to recovery. It's a good thing you caught me now, as I'll be leaving at first light."

"No, you _can't_ leave, Rhys! Gaius needs you. He's now ill with the fever. I've been giving him the remedies he'd been using to treat the sick, but they aren't doing any good! I need your help!"

Seeing that the young man was near to full out panic attack, Rhys spoke in a soothing tone, "Merlin, please, calm down. I am under orders from the King himself, so I cannot simply delay the trip … but I am willing to stay here tonight to go through my books to see if we cannot come up with a few other remedies to try. Are you able to stay and help me?"

"Thank you so much," said Merlin in a relieved tone. "I can certainly stay; Gwen is sitting with Gaius right now. I'll just need to let her now that I may be a while."

"That is a problem easily remedied. I'll send one of my boys to Gaius' rooms to let Gwen know the situation."

Once Rhys' eldest had been sent off to deliver his message, Rhys pulled a book off the shelf behind him and sat down on a second stool he placed beside Merlin's.

"Let's get started," he said. "First off, I need you to tell me Gaius' symptoms."

"Well, like I said, he has a fever. It has been rising steadily for the past few days. He is also delirious and often calls out to people that are not there. It's almost like he is reliving events from his younger days. His breathing is laboured and his hands twitch constantly."

"Hmmm," murmured the apothecary as he began flipping through the pages of the book in front of him. Merlin could see that it was a collection of what looked to be recipes, written in several different hands. Some of the ink was so faded as to be nearly invisible, and some of the pages looked like they had been written yesterday.

Seeing Merlin staring at the bound pages, Rhys turned the book so Merlin could get a clearer view. "This is my pride and joy," he said with a smile. "My grandfather started it years ago. He began by writing down the simple medicines and uses of herbs that he learned from his mother. He passed it on to my father who, as he travelled the world and began learning about the uses of more obscure plants, wrote down everything _he_ learned. I've been adding to it as well. It contains all the wisdom my family has been collecting over the years."

"Now, what have you been doing to ease the symptoms?" asked Rhys.

Merlin took a deep breath and said, "Well, I've been applying cool cloths on his forehead and the back of his neck to help control the fever. I've tried willow bark tea, then an infusion of coriander and finally an infusion of St. John's Wort, but nothing is working." Merlin's voice rose as he continued speaking. "There are some other suggestions in Gaius' Herbal, but I'm scared to try any of them. I'd have to make them from scratch and I'm still early in my training. I don't want to accidently poison Gaius because I made a mistake!"

"It will be all right, Merlin," said Rhys as he patted the now-frantic boy's arm. "We'll find something that will work; I'm sure of it."

For the next two hours Rhys read through his book, Merlin took notes and the two of them debated the potential benefits of several different concoctions. Well, Rhys debated … Merlin just listened and nodded his head occasionally. He was truly in over his head and certainly did not feel confident enough to add anything to Rhys' monologue.

By the time the two men had gone through every page in Rhys' book, Merlin had a list of several more potential fever-reducers and cough remedies, as well as information on how to prepare a few of them for use.

"Well Merlin," said Rhys as he stood up from where he'd been hunched over the table and stretched out his back, "that's all I've got. I am sorry that I don't have actual recipes for a couple of those suggestions … and I honestly have no idea what 'asafoetida' is … but some of these herbs are quite easily located. It's getting late. I've got to get my supplies in order for an early departure and I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Gaius."

Merlin rolled the piece of parchment that was now covered in his clear, neat handwriting, and got up from the stool where he'd been perched all evening. "Thank you, Rhys. Thank you so much for everything. I just hope one of these will work."

"You must have faith, Merlin," said the apothecary firmly. "Medicines can do wonderful things, but I've learned over the years that you've got to believe that what you are giving to your patient is going to work. Belief is a powerful medicine all on its own. I will only be gone for two days and I promise that the moment I return to Camelot, I will check up on you and Gaius to see how you both are doing. I _know_ Gaius will be well on his way to recovery by the time I return. I have faith in you and in these remedies," as he ran his hand over the worn leather cover of his book of simples.

Merlin blushed slightly at the compliment, gave Rhys a nod and hurried out of the apothecary's rooms towards the castle and Gaius' rooms.

* * *

While Merlin and Rhys had been pouring over his book of remedies, Gwen had been quite busy herself. Looking around the physician's chambers, it was obvious that Merlin had not had any time to straighten up any of the mess he'd created while trying to help Gaius. There was a pile of damp and dirty cloths in a basket next to the hearth, there were dirty bowls and spoons lying around everywhere and the mortar and pestle was caked over with green leaves of some type. Finally, Gaius' worktable - while never exactly _neat_ – presently looked as if a strong wind had swirled around it, displacing many of the bottles and vials.

Gwen, knowing that a clean workplace made everything so much easier, began to straighten up the rooms. First, she placed all the cloths in a small pot filled with water and then hung it on the hob in the fireplace. Gaius had taught her, many years previous, of the importance of cleanliness when dealing with both medicines and medical apparatus, so she figured boiling the cloths for a few moments would not go amiss.

Gwen was turning away from the fire and towards the small table placed nearby with a large bucket of hot water when a knocking sounded at the door.

"Come in," said Gwen as she placed the bucket on the table.

A young boy of about ten years of age stepped just inside the room, his hands tightly clasped together and his mouth agape as he stared around. "Ohhhh," he breathed, so quietly that Gwen barely heard him. Essa, Rhys' oldest child, had never visited the physician's rooms before and he was mesmerized by the bottles and vials and bowls and books that seemed to cover every surface.

Gwen turned to see who had entered and had to smile at the look on the child's face. "Hello, Essa," she said.

Essa's mouth closed with an audible _click_ and, after giving a brief glance towards the pale old man on the patient bed, he grinned at Gwen and said, "I've a message from me Da. He said to tell you that he and Merlin are looking for some more remedies, and can you stay a little longer?"

"Essa, would you please tell Merlin that I will stay with Gaius for as long as he needs me to." Knowing that Essa, like all children, had a love of sweets and that Gaius always kept a bag of boiled molasses candies in a particular jar on his worktable, Gwen retrieved the jar and handed one on the sweets to Essa. "Here," she said, "this is for you. In thanks for bringing me the message so quickly."

Essa immediately popped the sweet into his mouth before he gave Gwen a huge grin and mumbled "thanks" around the candy.

After Essa had left, Gwen realized that while Morgana had said she could take as much time as she needed to help both Merlin and Gaius, she should really advise the princess that it would be a few more hours before Merlin returned. So, dispatching one of the palace guards to Morgana's rooms to advise her of the change in the situation, Gwen then got to work on washing all the dirty bowls and scrubbing the mortar and pestle until everything was clean and shiny.

She was just about to start re-organizing the workbench when Gauis became very agitated. He began thrashing his head back and forth across the pillow and his fingers began plucking at the edge of the blanket. A low moan came from his mouth and his breathing quickened.

Gwen rushed to the man's side and, after placing a new, damp, cool cloth on his forehead, she grasped the physician's hands in an attempt to still their restless movement.

"Hush, Gaius. Everything is all right," she cooed as she rubbed his hands in an attempt to bring some warmth to his icy cold fingers. "Everything will be fine. Relax. Shhhh."

Gaius' eyes flew open, startling Gwen. His eyes were bright and glassy from the fever, and his cheeks were still stained a bright red. His gaze flittered about from left to right, until he finally focused on the serving girl sitting on his bed.

He stared at Gwen for a few moments and then he croaked, "Alice?"

Gwen was confused for a second or two. Who was Alice?

Gaius grew more agitated and kept saying, "Alice? Why are you here?"

"It's me, Gwen," responded the now slightly frightened young woman. She remembered Merlin telling her that Gaius had on occasion been speaking but now, having experienced it for herself, Gwen became quite uneasy. What did this mean?

Gaius was still moving restlessly on the narrow bed, staring at her in confusion, so she tried again. "Gaius, it's me. It's Gwen."

Gaius blinked a couple of times and then his gaze focused.

"Gwen?"

"Yes, Gaius. It's Gwen."

Gaius then began trying to push the blanket off, moaning, "Hot. Too hot."

"No, Gaius. You must leave the blanket. You've got a fever and Merlin's gone to get help. Please try to stay calm."

"Merlin?"

"Yes, Gaius. Merlin has gone to get help; he'll be back soon. I promise."

"Merlin … hot … Merl…" Gaius fell back asleep.

Gwen gazed down at the sleeping man, concern and worry in her brown eyes. "Merlin," she whispered, "please hurry back." Gwen sat by the patient bed for a few minutes, using one of the cool cloths to wipe down Gaius' arms, neck and face in an attempt to ease his discomfort.

Gaius remained asleep and, as he seemed calm for the moment, Gwen stood up and poured herself a goblet of water. _I hope Rhys and Merlin are successful_ , she thought as she turned back to the worktable and began arranging the various vials and bottles by size and name.

* * *

By the time Merlin made it back to the physician's rooms, it was quite late. The guard had changed for the evening and dinner was long over. Merlin was anxious to see Gaius and find out if anything had changed over the past few hours, but after speaking with Rhys, the young warlock could now also see a faint glimmer of light at the end of the long, dark tunnel.

Merlin carefully opened the large wooden door, trying not to make any noise and risk disturbing Gaius. On entering the room, he had to smile at the scene before him. Gaius was lying on the patient bed, obviously asleep and on the floor beside the head of the bed was a small bowl that held some used cloths. The room had been tidied and everything had been put back where it belonged. There was a fresh pile of clean and folded cloths sitting at the edge of the table, and Gaius' mortar and pestle were there as well, looking like new.

For a moment Merlin could not see Gwen, then a small noise turned his attention to the worktable. Gwen had obviously been straightening out the mess he'd left of Gaius' medicinal concoctions and had fallen asleep where she sat. Her head was resting on the table, her left arm being used as a pillow and she was surrounded by jars and vials.

"Oh, Gwen," whispered Merlin fondly, as he made his way further into the room. After placing his parchment oh-so-carefully on the small table, well away from any harm, Merlin padded over to his ill mentor's side. Gaius was deeply asleep, and for once his hands were still. His breathing still sounded a bit laboured, but no worse than earlier in the day. A quick check also showed that Gaius' fever, though still very high, seemed to be holding steady, which Merlin decided was acceptable.

In the ten minutes Merlin had been in the room, Gwen slept on, still and quiet except for a few murmurs. Having experienced for himself the aches and pains that resulted from sleeping in odd places and in odd positions, Merlin figured that as much as he would love to let her sleep, he'd better wake her.

"Gwen," he called in a low voice as he stood by her side. "Gwen, I'm back."

No response except for a slight shifting of the girl's head as she nestled more closely on her arm.

Merlin chuckled and reached out to softly place his hand on her shoulder. He gave her a gentle squeeze and tried again. "Gwen, c'mon. Time to wake up."

That did it. Gwen opened her eyes and blinked several times before she shot up with a gasp and looked around the room.

"Easy Gwen," said Merlin as he stepped further into her line of sight. "It's just me. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you."

Gwen sat up straight and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Oh, Merlin, you're back," she said somewhat dully as she was still not complete awake. She suddenly seemed then to realize that it was _Merlin_ standing in front of her and she quickly swivelled herself around to face him properly.

"Merlin, you're back!" she repeated in a much more lively tone. "I got your message. How did it go with Rhys? Was he able to help?"

"Yes, he was a huge help. The only thing, though, is he is leaving at first light on order of the King to re-visit those villagers he had helped through the illness. I would be much happier if he was available to help us treat Gaius, but between the two of us we found several more remedies that might work."

"Well, that's good news at least," said Gwen with a yawn.

On seeing how tired she looked, Merlin took Gwen's hands and pulled her up from the bench. "It's late and there's nothing else we can do tonight. I took a look at Gaius and he seems to be resting comfortably for the moment. Why don't you get some rest and I'll sit with Gaius for a while?"

"Merlin, I'm fine … really. You should be the one sleeping," responded the girl.

"I won't be able to sleep, Gwen; I'm too keyed up. Besides, I want to look over the notes I took and see what supplies I'm going to need to prepare some of these new remedies."

"Well, if you're sure Merlin," said Gwen rather dubiously.

"I'm sure," he responded firmly. "You can take my bed and I'll be fine here. I promise to wake you should I need your help."

"Yo … your bed?!" squeaked the girl in a strained voice. She gave a small cough and tried again, "You're offering me your bed?"

Merlin stared at Gwen confusedly, long enough for her cheeks to flush slightly. "Of course my bed," he said. "I'm not going to send you out at this hour. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be using it tonight."

"Oh … um … well," said the now-flustered girl. Taking a deep breath, Gwen gave the young man a slightly mocking curtsey and said with a smile, "Thank you, Merlin. I accept your kind offer."

Merlin glanced over at the sleeping man and said, "Thank you, Gwen. Thank you not only for staying with Gaius, but also for straightening up around here."

Gwen placed her hand on Merlin's forearm and said, "You are very welcome, Merlin." And then, to her utter surprise, she leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Besides," she added, "I wouldn't want Gaius' first act on his recovery to be to have to kill you for having created such a mess of these rooms!"

Merlin grinned at the girl and then shooed her up the short flight of stairs that led to his small room. "Goodnight, Gwen," he said as she turned to close the door.

"Goodnight Merlin," she whispered in response.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Special thanks to MoonFox who gave me the perfect title for the book that is mentioned near the end of this chapter.

* * *

While Gwen was getting some much-needed sleep in Merlin's room, the young warlock cleared a space on the table and spread out the parchment, using a spoon, a bowl and two vials to anchor the corners. The parchment contained notes about not only several new fever remedies, but also a couple of recipes for cough suppressants that, according to Rhys, should help ease Gaius' breathing.

Merlin was ready to start on the first concoction - a yarrow tea - when he heard a low noise coming from the other side of the room. He stepped over to the patient bed and saw that Gaius was awake … sort of. His eyes were open, but unfocused, and he was speaking to persons only he could see. It was as if he was conversing with ghosts. Seeing Gaius like this, delirious and confused, sent a chill through Merlin. It pained him to see his mentor so ill, so weak, and knowing that nothing he had done to date had been of any help.

It took several long minutes to quieten Gauis, but once calm it did not take long for the physician to fall back asleep. Listening to ensure that he heard no sound from Gwen, Merlin took a risk. Despite knowing that Gwen was in the next room, he cast the few healing spells that he knew in the hopes that, if nothing else, they could at least prevent Gaius from becoming any sicker.

Once he was sure the old man was resting as comfortably as possible, Merlin returned to the table and, accompanied by the gentle rasping of Gaius' breathing, he began to prepare the first of the remedies.

Muttering "yarrow, yarrow" under his breath, Merlin walked over to the supplies that were beginning to run perilously low, and began pawing through the baskets on the floor. "I _know_ I picked some just last week," he murmured when he couldn't see its distinctive clusters of small white flowers amongst the greenery in the various baskets. He did, however, locate some thyme which Rhys had advised that it made a surprisingly effective medicinal tea.

Merlin pulled the last basket of greenery out from under the table and into the light, where a patch of white caught his eye. "There you are," he breathed, as he pulled out a small handful of yarrow. And, there, right beside it, was some hyssop – just what he needed for one of the cough suppressant remedies Rhys had given him.

Merlin gave the hyssop a baleful glare, recalling the pains he'd received getting that one. There were several plants located near the beehives at the back of the kitchen garden as, according to the beekeeper, hyssop made for some lovely honey. But the beekeeper had forgotten to mention that the bees were protective of their plants; extremely protective, going by the number of stings Merlin had received while trying to pick some of its leaves.

"Stupid bees," he said as he reflexively scratched at the back of his hand where he'd been stung. The swelling had long since disappeared, but just seeing the plant made Merlin feel itchy again.

Turning back to the worktable, Merlin pinched off a few of the yarrow leaves and all the flowers and began to chop them up. According to the recipe he and Rhys had found, he needed to roughly cut up the flowers and leaves and steep them in some hot water until the resulting liquid turned a pale green. Once the liquid was cooled, it could be administered by spoon to the patient, one spoonful every two hours. It was supposed to start decreasing fevers after two doses.

The pot of water that Merlin had earlier set on the hob was now vigorously bubbling away, so once he had placed the chopped herb in a small bowl, he took the ladle hanging by the fireplace and added three scoops of water to the bowl. Unfortunately, the recipe simply said "steep in boiling water", but did not bother to mention how much water. Merlin, using his best guess, decided that three ladles would be sufficient. The amount of herb he'd chopped was similar to the amount of tea Gaius used when brewing a pot, so he figured he couldn't be too far off the mark if he used the same proportions.

Carefully placing the steeping yarrow at the far end of the work table, Merlin read through the next recipe and then began gathering together the ingredient's he'd need to make the thyme tea that Rhys had recommended. At least with this remedy, Rhys had been able to give Merlin the exact amounts of each ingredient, so he felt much more confident preparing this one.

Once both medications were ready, Merlin bottled them, tightly fixed their stoppers and then labelled each in a clear hand. The yarrow draught was apparently as effective cool as it was hot and as for the thyme tea, Merlin had learned a neat little trick from Gaius. All he had to do was place the stoppered vial of tea in a bowl of very hot water for a few moments. The heat from the water would warm to the tea and make it ready for use.

The hyssop remedy was the easiest to manage as all he had to do was put the leaves in a pot of hot water and place the pot near the head of the bed. The heat would cause the hyssop to release its oils and the resulting fragrant steam would apparently aid Gaius' breathing.

It was late when Merlin had finally finished his preparations; late enough that the Castle halls had fallen quiet. The majority of the inhabitants had retired to their beds and were asleep, renewing their energies for the coming morning. The sensation of being alone was a little unsettling: Merlin felt like he was the only person in the world.

Looking once again at his notes, Merlin saw that he still had three remedies left to prepare, but on reading their ingredients, he realized he'd hit a wall. The ingredients were unknown to Merlin - one called for "Tears of Isis", the second "Asafoetida" and the third mentioned tulsi leaves and ground cloves. The cloves were not a problem, but Merlin had no idea what in the world "tulsi leaves" could be.

To add to his difficulties, the young man was now so tired that the words on the page began swimming before his eyes and he was yawning incessantly. "No time to rest," he admonished himself as he located the small jar of cloves and placed two into the mortar. "You can rest after you grind these up. After all, s _omeone_ must know what tulsi leaves are."

But, no sooner were the words out of his mouth than Merlin's eyelids drooped and his head slowly dipped down, before coming to rest on the table. He was dead to the world.

* * *

The early morning sun peeked over the windowsill to illuminate the physician's chambers with its warming rays. As the sun rose higher, the light began to dance off the bottles on the worktable and shine through the liquids they held, creating a colourful mosaic on the back wall. The mosaic disappeared as the sun shifted higher still, and spilled across the foot of the patient bed, creating sunlit peaks and dark shadows on the crumpled blanket that covered the man lying there.

The light finally came to rest on head and upper shoulders of the young man sprawled across the table top, deeply asleep. It picked out highlights of red and copper in the lad's mop of dark hair; it also brought into sharp focus the lines of pain and worry that creased the warlock's forehead. Scattered about the sleeping form, like islands in the sea, were piles of leaves and several bowls, and under his hand was the precious parchment that hopefully held the key to Gauis' recovery.

It was the sound of the changing of the guard that woke Merlin in the end. As the usual morning noises drifted up from the courtyard and through the open window, Merlin wrinkled his nose and raised his hand to scrub at it. He yawned widely and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it until he resembled a hedgehog with its spines erect.

Pushing himself up from the table, Merlin stretched the kinks out of his back and shoulders and then stepped over to the patient bed to see how Gaius had weathered the night.

Merlin had just finished giving Gaius the first dose of yarrow tea when the creaking of the door heralded Gwen's entrance into the room.

Taking in the detritus that covered the workbench and seeing Merlin's slightly haggard appearance, Gwen figured he'd had a difficult night with Gaius. "How's he doing?" she asked as she approached Merlin who was repositioning the blanket over the old man.

"No change," said Merlin in a tired voice. "But, except for a bit of restlessness early on, he had an easy night." Showing Gwen the medicine in his hand, he added, "I also prepared three new remedies last night, but then I ran into a bit of a problem."

"Oh?" said Gwen as she moved to the table and began setting out some food for breakfast. "What happened?"

Merlin sat himself down at the table and pointing at the parchment that Gwen had placed to the side out of danger said, "Some of the ingredients are completely unknown to me. Have you ever heard Gaius mention something called 'Tears of Isis' or 'Asafoetida'?

Gwen got a look of concentration on her face as she racked her brain. Picking up a piece of bread and pouring some honey on it, she said, "No, they don't sound familiar to me at all."

"I was afraid you'd say that," responded Merlin around his own mouthful of bread and honey. He was shovelling food into his mouth like a starving man and couldn't be bothered with manners. Swallowing down the mouthful he added, "Well, I guess there's no choice for it. I'll have to visit the Archives to speak with Geoffrey."

Gwen sent her friend a sympathetic look. Poor Merlin – it seemed that every time he entered the Archives he managed to put his foot wrong. Either he dropped a book, or he tripped over something on the floor, or he got lost amongst the shelves.

"You know, Merlin, Geoffrey and Gaius are good friends, and have been so for many years. I'm sure that once you explain why you are asking for his help, he'll be more than glad to assist you in any way he can. Underneath his grumpy exterior, Geoffrey is truly a kind man."

Merlin graced Gwen with a rueful gaze. "Maybe to you, but he thinks I'm an idiot! And let's face it; every time I step into the Archives I do something stupid that just reinforces his belief that I'm useless."

* * *

The Royal Archives were located deep in the centre of the Citadel. The rooms that comprised them were dimly lit and had no windows. They were cool and dusty, and smelled of old parchment and ink. The wide, nail-studded door that guarded the entrance was intimidating, but not nearly as intimidating as its Master.

Geoffrey had been the Royal Archivist for going on 25 years and he regarded the rooms and their contents as his personal fiefdom. He had absolute control over who, and what, was permitted entry and he ruled his tiny kingdom with an iron fist. Even King Uther trod carefully around Geoffrey when he was ensconced at his desk.

Merlin always felt at a serious disadvantage when he was forced to speak with the older man – after all, he was a respected member of the Council and knew the contents of the various manuscripts, pamphlets, books and papers that comprised his universe like the back of his hand. He was also grumpy, cantankerous and did not suffer fools; and in his eyes, Merlin was the biggest fool he'd ever met.

Merlin stepped into the library and took a quick look around. Geoffrey was not at his desk, but there were some faint noises coming from the room to his right. Merlin straightened his tunic, checked again to ensure he had his notes, ran his hand through his hair in a rather useless attempt to make himself more presentable and called into the darkness, "Hello? Sir?"

A faint clang sounded, followed by a huff and footsteps and then a voice called, "I'm coming, I'm coming. Just a moment!"

Stepping out from a line of bookshelves, Geoffrey looked over to his desk and saw who was standing there. "Oh," he said, rather disdainfully, "it's you, Merlin." Taking his seat, he added gruffly, "Well, what do you want?"

Merlin took a steadying breath, said, "I need your help," and proceeded to explain all that had happened over the past few days. He concluded by saying, "And while I was able to prepare some of the concoctions, there are a few ingredients that are unknown to both Rhys the Apothecary and myself. So, I was hoping you had a book in the collection that may be of assistance?"

Geoffrey sat quietly during Merlin's recitation, his only movement a slow, thoughtful stroking of his beard. Though he would never say so, he was actually quite impressed with the foresight Merlin had shown in visiting the Apothecary. And from the look of the lad, he'd spent the last few days working himself to exhaustion trying to help Gaius, which improved his standing in Geoffrey's eyes, to be sure.

The news that Gaius was ill, while distressing, did not really come as a surprise to the Archivist. After all, he had warned his old friend not two weeks previous that if he didn't take care, he was going to become sick himself.

Realizing that Merlin had finished his recitation, Geoffrey said, "For goodness sake, boy, sit down. And hand me that parchment!"

Merlin dropped onto the stool placed in front of the desk with a light _thud_ and passed over his notes to the older man.

Geoffrey unrolled the parchment, anchored the two top corners with a candle stick and a goblet and quickly scanned the page. Merlin, for his part, sat quietly on his stool, chewing his bottom lip and twisting his hands together.

"Hmmm … let's see," muttered the old man as he gazed blankly ahead of him. "Ahh, I know!" Rising from his seat, he headed off towards the back of the room, calling, "Come along, boy! And bring the parchment!"

Merlin grabbed the parchment and a light and hurried after Geoffrey. He caught a glimpse of his robes as he turned to the left between two standing bookcases and when Merlin reached the junction, he could see that the old man was standing in front of a large set of shelves filled to overflowing with books and rolled parchments. Suddenly, swift as a snake striking, Geoffrey pulled a large tome from the shelf and placed it on the table conveniently located just to the right of the shelves.

"Come here, Merlin," he said as he laid his hand on the cover of the book, "I'm sure we will find everything we need in this book."

Moving to stand by the Archivist's side, Merlin unrolled his parchment on the table, positioned the light nearby, and gave Geoffrey a questioning look.

"This is the _Pharmacopoeia_ , a collection of herbal medicines. It contains descriptions of hundreds of herbs, as well as their medicinal uses, recipes and preparations." Flipping through the pages, Geoffrey muttered, "Asafoetida … hmm … here it is. According to this, it's the sap from a plant of the fennel family and is native to Persia. Unfortunately, I think we'll have to forego this remedy for now. What else are you looking for?"

"Something called 'Tears of Isis'", responded Merlin.

Paging further through the book, Geoffrey soon found what they were looking for. "It says here that 'Tears of Isis' is another name for vervain."

"Really?" said Merlin excitedly, "That's perfect. I know there is some vervain growing in the kitchen garden! The last one I'm looking for is something called 'tulsi leaves'. Can you find anything about them?"

"Actually, Merlin, I think I know the answer to that one already, but let me check just to be sure." After flipping back a few pages, Geoffrey quickly read through a lengthy entry and smiled, "Just as I thought! Tulsi is actually 'holy basil'. Apparently holy basil has grey-green leaves, as opposed to green. Does that help you any?"

"Actually, it does. I'm pretty sure there is some of that in the kitchen gardens as well. I know there's three or four different types of basil planted there, and I'm almost positive one of them has leaves just like that," responded Merlin as he pointed to the illustration accompanying the description of tulsi.

"Thank you so much," said Merlin as he rolled up his parchment, "you've been a great help. I've got to get to the kitchen gardens and then back to Gaius' rooms."

Merlin headed back the way he had come and called "Thank you again, Sir!" as he disappeared to the left at the junction of two rows of shelving.

Watching the young man hurry away, Geoffrey couldn't help but sigh. "To the right, Merlin," he called. "The exit is to the _right_!"

Merlin quickly appeared once again in the corridor, waved rather sheepishly at Geoffrey and pointed in front of him. "That way," he said with a rueful chuckle.

Heading through the kitchen and out to the garden beyond, with his parchment carefully tucked in the back of his pants, Merlin snagged one of the many bags that lay near the door. He made his way to the far wall of the garden where the medicinal and kitchen herbs were cultivated, found both the vervain and the holy basil and picked several handfuls of each. He had just placed the last of the greens into the bag when the door to the garden banged open and one of the pageboys came tearing down the pathway.

"Merlin! Merlin!" he called. "Thank goodness I've found you," he added as he skidded to a stop in front of the young warlock.

"What's wrong?" asked Merlin, fear beginning to brew in the pit of his stomach.

"Gwen said you have to come at once. Gaius is getting worse!"

Merlin took off at a run.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I've said it before, but I'll say it again – this story never would have seen the light of day if it hadn't been for Moon Fox's timely assistance and sarajm's fantastic beta skills. Thank you so much!

* * *

The frightened young warlock flew along the castle hallways and up the stairs towards Gaius' rooms, terrified at what he would find. Merlin rushed into the room, pushing the door open with such force that it bounced off the wall and nearly hit him on its rebound.

Gaius was lying on the bed, still - too still. His hands had ceased their restless movements and now lay quiet on the counterpane; his skin was pale and waxy-looking, except for two bright red fever spots on his cheeks. If it wasn't for the raspy inhalations as he breathed, Merlin would have believed the old man to have passed.

Gwen was sitting at Gaius' side, her hair coming out from its clasp and curling due to the hyssop steam that enveloped the head of the bed. She had tears on her cheeks and a look of frustration on her face.

The bang of the door had startled the girl and on seeing Merlin hurrying towards her, she ceded her place at Gaius' side.

"Oh, Merlin. Thank goodness you're here. Gaius' fever has been rising steadily for the last little while. I've already given him another dose of the yarrow, but it's not doing any good. Neither are the cool cloths I've been laying on his forehead. Please tell me Geoffrey was able to help!"

Merlin placed his hand on the old man's fevered brow and then felt for his pulse. It was weak and far too slow, while his breathing was shallow and far too rapid. "Hold on, Gaius," said the warlock fervently as he stared at his mentor's face. "Please hold on."

Turning to the young m, Merlin said, "Keep applying the cool cloths. Geoffrey _was_ able to help and I've now got the necessary ingredients for two more remedies. Is there any water boiling?"

Gwen nodded her head towards the fireplace and said, "I've kept the large pot boiling, and there's fresh cold water as well." As she wiped down Gaius' face and neck, she continued, "What remedy are you going to try next?"

"Well," said Merlin from the worktable where he was haphazardly plucking basil leaves off their stems and putting them in a large pot, "it turns out one of the remedies is actually a mixture of basil leaves and ground cloves. I have to mix the ingredients with four large ladles of boiling water and then let the mixture boil until reduced by half. Once it's ready, we can give some to Gaius every two hours."

Once he had a large handful of leaves in the pot and had added a pinch of the ground cloves, Merlin took the whole thing over to the fire, ladled in four large scoops of boiling water and then set the pot over the flames to continue cooking.

Returning to the worktable, he grabbed the bottle that contained the thyme tea he had prepared earlier and set it in the same pot for a few moments. Once it was warmed, he came over to the bed and raised Gaius up by propping some more pillows under this head and upper back.

"See if you can get some of this into him," he said, handing the bottle to Gwen before turning to his next preparation.

Merlin frantically searched around their stores cupboard and, once he had located the sugar that Gaius kept hidden, he placed it on the table next to the pile of vervain he'd gathered. He poured some sugar into a large goblet, nearly spilling it all over the table in his haste to get the potion ready.

When Gwen had finished dosing Gaius and had replaced the cool cloth on his forehead, she stepped over to the table to watch what Merlin was doing. Merlin was so intent on his preparation that, though he sensed the girl standing near, he didn't look up from his hands. "This one is a cough remedy," he said as he continued to strip the vervain leaves from their stems. "It should also help clear out Gaius' lungs. I have to make a tea of equal parts vervain and sugar and then have Gaius drink it." Indicating the goblet and the pile of greens, he asked, "Do these look to be about equal amounts?"

"Merlin, do you think any of these will work?" asked Gwen, worry evident in her voice.

"They have to work Gwen; they simply _have_ to," said Merlin as he looked up at his friend, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with fear. "If they don't, I don't know what else to do," he said in a small voice.

"Well then," said Gwen firmly, "we'll just have to have faith, won't we."

Merlin gave her a watery smile. "Funny you should say that," the dark-haired lad responded. "Rhys said the same thing. He said that the medicines were great, but you also have to _believe_ they will work."

Merlin scooped up the leaves and added them to the sugar, poured some boiling water over the resulting mixture and gave it a stir. The two young people stared into the swirling liquid in the goblet.

"How do you know when it's ready?" asked Gwen.

"Well, it's described as a 'tea' so that should mean about five minutes. At least, that's what Gaius always told me" said Merlin.

"That makes sense, I guess," responded Gwen as she sat down on the bench at the table, her gaze every few moments returning to Gaius where he lay on the bed at the other side of the room. Merlin, meanwhile, fiddled with the various articles on the table and then went over to the pot of basil bubbling over the fire to see how it was faring. As the water boiled away, the remaining liquid had thickened slightly and was turning a deep green in colour.

Giving the mixture a quick stir, Merlin said, "Well, it certainly smells a lot better than many of Gaius' remedies." Taking another look at the liquid he said, "I think it's ready; here's hoping it works. Gwen, would you please bring me a cup."

Gwen grabbed one of the many cups sitting at the edge of the table and hurried to Merlin's side. He spooned a bit of the basil mixture into the cup and then stepped over to sit at Gaius' side, Gwen right beside him.

Between the two of them, they got Gaius to swallow the liquid, and after placing the cup on the floor, Merlin grasped one of the physician's hands and held it tightly in his own. _If only hopes and wishes could make Gaius better_ , he thought, _then he'd be well on his way to recovery._

"What now?" asked Gwen.

"Now, we wait," said Merlin. "We can dose him again in two hours."

An uncomfortable quiet filled the room as Merlin and Gwen each, in their own way, sought to fill the time until they could give Gaius another dose of medicine. Merlin refused to step away from Gaius' side; instead he sat on the edge of the bed, holding the old man's hand and speaking quietly to him. Gwen, for her part, straightened up the worktable and washed the various bowls, pots and spoons that had been dirtied in the course of the morning. She was one of those people who, when upset or worried, cleaned.

Gwen was sitting on the bench, her left hand supporting her head while she twirled a small jar in her right hand, when Merlin suddenly spoke. "It's time," he said. "We can give Gaius another dose. Would you also bring over the vervain mixture? I think we should give some of that to Gaius as well."

Once again, the two young people dosed Gauis with the fever reducer and the cough suppressant, sat back and prepared to wait. Merlin replaced the cool cloth on his mentor's forehead and Gwen placed another bowl of hot water and hyssop leaves at the head of the bed.

No long after, there came a knock at the door and Morgana quietly stepped into the room.

"Morgana!" said Gwen, as she saw her mistress. "Do you need me for something?"

"Actually, I came for two reasons," said Morgana as she made her way to the patient bed and looked down at Gaius sadly. "How is he doing?" she asked, putting her hand on Merlin shoulder.

"Well, we're trying a new remedy and I am hopeful this one will work," said Merlin with forced cheerfulness. He knew the regard Morgana held for Gaius and he didn't want to worry the young princess. "We just need to wait and see."

"Well, I am terribly sorry to have to do this," said Morgana, "but I need to steal Gwen away for a while." Turning to Gwen, she added, "When you left my rooms yesterday, I believe you still had the key to my jewel box in your pocket. At least, I _hope_ you have the key, otherwise I've lost it!"

Gwen flushed and her hand flew to pat at her dress. Fumbling for her pocket, she reached in a pulled out the small bronze key. "Oh, Morgana," she said, "I'm _so_ sorry. I completely forgot that I had this!"

"It's all right, Gwen," said Morgana with a smile. "Believe me, I understand. But, I've got to get ready for a formal dinner with Uther, Arthur and several visiting nobles, so I'm going to need your assistance." Turning to Merlin she added, "I promise I won't keep her long."

"It's okay, Morgana. Really," said Merlin. He got up from his perch at Gaius' side and walked over to where the two girls were standing near the open door. Merlin gave Gwen a hug and whispered a fervent _thank you_ in her ear. Looking over at Morgana, he said, "Enjoy your dinner."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "If you knew who I'm going to be stuck at the dinner table with, you'd know that's nigh on impossible," she said sarcastically.

Merlin grinned at Morgana, and once the two girls had left, he firmly closed the door and returned to sit at Gaius' side.

It was a long afternoon, and exhaustion was beginning to pull at Merlin. He was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open and several times his head bobbed down towards his chest before he jerked awake.

Merlin was sitting quietly on the floor, leaning back against the patient bed, his mind spinning with uneasy thoughts when he felt something brush his hair. He whipped his head around so fast that it was a miracle he did not strain something. Turning so he was now kneeling on the floor facing Gaius, he could see that the man's eyes were open and were focused on him.

Gaius licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a croak. He coughed and then, quietly and in a cracked voice, asked, "Merlin?"

"Ha!" crowed Merlin. "Gaius, you're back! How are you feeling?" asked the warlock as he sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on his mentor's forehead. It worked! The basil tea had worked! Gaius' fever had gone down substantially in the past hours, and the fever spots were fading from his cheeks.

"I feel as if I've been run over by a cart," said Gaius. "What happened?"

"You've been ill with a fever for several days, Gaius," responded Merlin as he gave the man a shaky grin. "I'll admit I was very scared for a while, but it seems that I finally found a draught that actually works!"

"I am sorry, Merlin, if I worried you," answered Gaius as he slowly grasped Merlin's hand and give it a rather weak squeeze.

"It's all right," said Merlin, as he patted Gaius' hand. "It wasn't your fault. Get some sleep, Gaius. We'll talk later."

"Thank you, Merlin," whispered Gaius as he slipped into a healing sleep.

It was only once Gaius was asleep that Merlin gave in and allowed the tears that he had been holding back to slip down his cheeks. They were, however, tears of relief rather than the tears of grief which the young warlock had been refusing to submit to for days. Merlin felt as if a great weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders. Gaius would be fine; he knew it!

* * *

Two days had passed since Gaius had regained consciousness and he was well on his way to recovery. The basil tea had continued to work wonders and the hyssop had prevented his cough from developing into anything truly serious. Gaius was up and around - though not yet ready to leave his rooms or visit his patients - and was feeling much better than he had for weeks.

In fact, he had been feeling well enough that Merlin had returned to his duties as Arthur's manservant that morning. Throughout the entire incident, Arthur had been most understanding and had encouraged Merlin to stay with Gaius until the older man was out of danger. Though he would never say it aloud, Arthur was very fond of Gaius and had been extremely worried about the physician.

It was late in the afternoon and Merlin had just returned to their chambers to have the evening meal with Gaius when there was a knock at the door. Gaius was sitting at the table with a light shawl thrown over his shoulders to keep out the chill. He didn't think it was necessary, but Merlin had been insistent. Once he had heard everything that Merlin had gone through to ensure his recovery, Gaius didn't have the heart to disagree with his ward, so he wore the shawl and let Merlin set out the food on the table.

"Come in," called Merlin, setting aside the ladle he'd been using to stir the stew heating over the fire and turning towards the door.

The door opened and Rhys the Apothecary stepped in. He smiled on seeing Gaius sitting up at the table.

"Gaius," he said, "I am glad to see you up and about! I hear you had quite a time of it."

"Yes, Rhys, I did. But I am feeling much better now," responded the physician, "and I understand that I have you in part to thank for my good health."

"Ah, Gaius, truly it was Merlin you have to thank. I simply gave him a few ideas, but he was the one who nursed you back to health. He's a smart lad, this one. He'll go far, I'm sure," added Rhys with a wink and a grin.

"I know," said Gaius as he gazed fondly at his young ward, who was now sporting bright red cheeks. "He is truly a wonderful young man."

Merlin ducked his head, embarrassed at the praise. He suddenly snapped his fingers and said, "Rhys, I almost forgot. I've got some new information you can add to that book of yours. With some help from Geoffrey, I found out what 'Tears of Isis' and 'tulsi' are, as well as 'asafoetida'."

"That is excellent news, Merlin. When you've got a few moments, come to my rooms and you can tell me everything you learned and how effective the preparations were. I'm always looking to increase my knowledge and update my notes."

As Rhys and Merlin stood by the fire, discussing the remedies and deciding when would be a good time for Merlin to visit, Gaius couldn't help but smile softly. He was extremely proud of the young man. Merlin had proven he was well on the way to becoming an excellent healer and Gaius had no doubt the lad would soon reach a point where he could step into the physician's shoes should it become necessary. In the meantime, Gaius was looking forward to continuing his job as teacher and mentor to the young warlock.


End file.
